"What did you do to your E39 today V2.0."

[joekitch]

replaced the whole tensioner assembly for the water pump/alternator on my 540, since it was making pretty obvious noisy idler noises, and the noise was originating from the idlers.
problem is, after replacement, the noise is....still there? I checked the idlers before going on the car and they correctly had good damping, the old ones spun freely and noisily once i checked them off the car






so, what's up here?

[1999 540i m]

Converted to e85, massive improvement, my butt dyno says much more power, and for the first time ever my engine runs so smooth I can barely tell it's running!

[jp5Touring]

Swapped some of my black interior into my Japan Red touring. Lots left to do but really happy in how it looks so far.

[joekitch]

replaced the whole tensioner assembly for the water pump/alternator on my 540, since it was making pretty obvious noisy idler noises, and the noise was originating from the idlers.
problem is, after replacement, the noise is....still there? I checked the idlers before going on the car and they correctly had good damping, the old ones spun freely and noisily once i checked them off the car

so, what's up here?

nevermind answered my own question, i let the car idle for about ten minutes and get up to temp, noise slowly went away.

also, put in the rebuilt caliper and bled the brakes, i'd love to go for a drive but...

i realized i have a coolant leak. Two, actually. One decent sized one under the coolant level sensor (those e36 sensors are poo) and one very slow one i can't really identify yet...its dripping off the front driver side of the lower oil pan ridge, and going by dried coolant splash it might be coming from way up, like behind the water pump maybe

coolant leak front oil pan.jpg

[geargrinder]

The exp tank sender is sealed. Sensor can't leak. Most likely your expansion tank has a crack/leak, or you stripped the (basically useless on the V8) bleed screw, so that the drip up there is trickling down...

[joekitch]

forgot to specify, i have that zionsville aluminum tank and i can literally see the leak dripping from the coolant level sensor, which needs to be an e36 level sensor. i have no idea why they designed around that thing (it breaks constantly and leaks just as much) but eh

but again the other leak is more mysterious

[StephenVA]

Swapped some of my black interior into my Japan Red touring. Lots left to do but really happy in how it looks so far.

I see tan front head rests! The back half looks great! Good job.

[NordmanMg]

Swapped some of my black interior into my Japan Red touring. Lots left to do but really happy in how it looks so far.

Yeeey, finally some upgrades))))

[jp5Touring]

I see tan front head rests! The back half looks great! Good job.

Still much to do, I need to pull headliners (2) and get one redone in black pull dash and carpets. Install e38 front seats.

Yeeey, finally some upgrades))))

I know, been forever to start this. I'm tired of looking at all that extended leather lying around in my basement.

[bimmer7410]

Yesterday, I - Replaced washer fluid lines and motors (need new nozzles now)
- Removed old windshield liner which was broken into decrepit pieces, installed new one
- Removed front door panels to install Bavsound stage 1 speakers. Never got them back on due to sun going down and discovery that PO broke a lot of the clips.


Hoping I can find some of those clips in person at some auto parts store today.
Bavsound speakers sound awesome btw

[computiNATEor]

Yesterday, I - Replaced washer fluid lines and motors (need new nozzles now)
- Removed old windshield liner which was broken into decrepit pieces, installed new one
- Removed front door panels to install Bavsound stage 1 speakers. Never got them back on due to sun going down and discovery that PO broke a lot of the clips.


Hoping I can find some of those clips in person at some auto parts store today.
Bavsound speakers sound awesome btw

If you don’t have the headlight washers/intensive cleaning system, I recommend using the E60 nozzles. They’re a little bit tight in the hood’s holes, so be careful that you don’t take paint off (or file them down ever so slightly), but they’re plug and play. If you have headlight washers/intensive cleaning, you may have to customize the tubing. Personally, I would recommend deleting the headlight washers and just going with the single tube for the hood.

[Dking078]

If you don’t have the headlight washers/intensive cleaning system, I recommend using the E60 nozzles. They’re a little bit tight in the hood’s holes, so be careful that you don’t take paint off (or file them down ever so slightly), but they’re plug and play. If you have headlight washers/intensive cleaning, you may have to customize the tubing. Personally, I would recommend deleting the headlight washers and just going with the single tube for the hood.

10/10 Mod, would do again

[geargrinder]

If you don’t have the headlight washers/intensive cleaning system, I recommend using the E60 nozzles. They’re a little bit tight in the hood’s holes, so be careful that you don’t take paint off (or file them down ever so slightly), but they’re plug and play. If you have headlight washers/intensive cleaning, you may have to customize the tubing. Personally, I would recommend deleting the headlight washers and just going with the single tube for the hood.

Headlight washers are independent Nate - separate pump and hose - its just the Intensive system that has the issue w/ checkvalves and whatnot. Which is apparently fixable if you fit checkvalves... Frankly I find the intensive fairly useless anyway, after years of owning the car I'd delete that in a minute if I needed to.

Headlight washers are like home air-conditioning for people in the North, or say, 'wall insulation' for people who live in the South. Southern boneheads always rant about 'em... "YEAH who needs those!?!? Its just more complicated and stupid useless feature! USELESS!!!!" But they are LEGIT for those of us who don't live in HappyLaLaLand and have to repeatedly wash the salt and filth crust off our headlights when taking long drives in the winter. It's like taking a shroud off 'em, getting 50% of your lights back again without having to pull over in the crap weather. Don't need 'em too often, but when you do... they are much appreciated...

[computiNATEor]

Headlight washers are independent Nate - separate pump and hose - its just the Intensive system that has the issue w/ checkvalves and whatnot. Which is apparently fixable if you fit checkvalves... Frankly I find the intensive fairly useless anyway, after years of owning the car I'd delete that in a minute if I needed to.

Headlight washers are like home air-conditioning for people in the North, or say, 'wall insulation' for people who live in the South. Southern boneheads always rant about 'em... "YEAH who needs those!?!? Its just more complicated and stupid useless feature! USELESS!!!!" But they are LEGIT for those of us who don't live in HappyLaLaLand and have to repeatedly wash the salt and filth crust off our headlights when taking long drives in the winter. It's like taking a shroud off 'em, getting 50% of your lights back again without having to pull over in the crap weather. Don't need 'em too often, but when you do... they are much appreciated...

Gotcha. Are headlight washers/intensive cleaning tied together? I think if you have one you have both, no?

Oh, I definitely understand why they're there, but at this point, all the tubing is brittle and prone to leaking if it hasn't already been replaced.

[geargrinder]

I don't think they were tied together as order-option/marketing-wise, but I could be wrong. Seems like I have seen headlight without intensive, but maybe not the opposite? But I could be wrong, maybe they were.

Physically they definitely aren't tied together... basically the systems go:

Master tank -> normal pump -> main windshield nozzles
Intensive tank -> int. pump -> same nozzles
Master tank -> headlight pump -> headlight nozzles
Master tank -> hatch pump -> hatch nozzles (Touring obv.)

So the main tank is shared by all but intensive, the main windshield nozzles are shared by just the normal and intensive systems.

The intensive system IS a bit useless honestly. If you actually had the original "paint melting washer fluid" I think it probably was pretty cool for real filth, but a bit hazardous cuz they stopped selling that apparently it was super harsh on paint and people didn't realize "only use this when you know it'll get washed away soon!" I made my own a few times - extra alcohol and a drip of soap added to some normal fluid - but its not really worth the hassle.

[joekitch]

Pretty sure my mysterious double coolant leak was just one leak making an incredibly long journey from one side of the bay to the other



coolant journey.jpg


Cleaned everything up and tightened up that hose real good, no signs of seepage even at highway shakedown run
had to take off the harmonic balance pulley to get to it though, and i'm having a real hard time finding a torque spec for those bolts, for now they're at 40 newton meters i believe

[itsbrokeagain]

I don't think they were tied together as order-option/marketing-wise, but I could be wrong. Seems like I have seen headlight without intensive, but maybe not the opposite? But I could be wrong, maybe they were.

Physically they definitely aren't tied together... basically the systems go:

Master tank -> normal pump -> main windshield nozzles
Intensive tank -> int. pump -> same nozzles
Master tank -> headlight pump -> headlight nozzles
Master tank -> hatch pump -> hatch nozzles (Touring obv.)

So the main tank is shared by all but intensive, the main windshield nozzles are shared by just the normal and intensive systems.

The intensive system IS a bit useless honestly. If you actually had the original "paint melting washer fluid" I think it probably was pretty cool for real filth, but a bit hazardous cuz they stopped selling that apparently it was super harsh on paint and people didn't realize "only use this when you know it'll get washed away soon!" I made my own a few times - extra alcohol and a drip of soap added to some normal fluid - but its not really worth the hassle.

I believe you got the intensive/headlight washers if you ordered the cold weather package. Heated seats/steering wheel, and washers for the headlights.

My X5 was specced like that, but oddly my E39 had heated seats, and nothing more. And yes, those headlight washers were a godsend this winter. Driving in 4 nor'easters left the front of my E53 caked up but a quick squirt from them gave me 4 tiny holes from which to see. They are good at removing filth but when there's a 1/2 inch of packed/frozen slush mix plastered to the front of the car, only thing that fixes that is a stop on the side of the road to clear it with the brush.

[JimLev]

The cold weather package items depended on what year your is. My '00 has cold weather package but the heated wheel wasn't available if you got the sport (6 speed) model.

[computiNATEor]

The cold weather package items depended on what year your is. My '00 has cold weather package but the heated wheel wasn't available if you got the sport (6 speed) model.

I don't think any CWP and Sport cars have heated steering wheels; mutually exclusive options. You could have the sport wheel, or the heated wheel, but not both.

[zener]

Changed the 3,46 diff in.

[jp5Touring]

Ordered Dynavin N7 today.

[bimmer7410]

Ordered Dynavin N7 today.

What made you choose the n7 over some of the other alternatives?

[jmc1590]

Took my 528i to Auto-X Saturday, in liu of a broken E36.

Not quite as nimble, but still had a blast!

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/vid...&width=560

[rjjablo]

Did Rear Subframe Bushings on my 525 Wagon this weekend. I get the point now why not to use air tools on the Koch tool to get them out. Lube is your friend. Had to buy a 24MM open end wrench and as long as I was at Fleet Farm got the 23MM and the 22MM just to add to the set.

[Jason5driver]

Took my 528i to Auto-X Saturday, in liu of a broken E36.

Not quite as nimble, but still had a blast!

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/vid...&width=560

Cool !
That course is a little weird IMO. LOL.